Giants cut linebacker Blake Martinez after disconnect with new regime

The new Giants coaching staff never seemed to have much use for Blake Martinez, the veteran inside linebacker, and, as it turns out, Martinez will not be playing for that new staff, as he was released on Thursday.

The move is surprising but not shocking, given the nature of the way the spring and summer went down with Martinez. He was coming off surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament, an injury that limited him to three games last season. Martinez made it back to the field, was able to participate in the latter stages of training camp and got into two preseason games. Something did not connect, though.

Martinez, 28, was not a fit in new defensive coordinator Wink Martindale’s pressure-filled scheme, and the handwriting was on the wall that he was not going to receive extensive playing time. Still, he was the only proven inside linebacker on the roster.

In his only full year with the Giants, he amassed 151 tackles in 2020 and was a big favorite of Joe Judge and Patrick Graham, the defensive coordinator. Graham entrusted Martinez with the green-dot helmet, signaling in the defensive calls to Martinez to relay to his teammates. Martinez was considered the on-field brains of the operation.

Once Martindale came aboard, he gave the defensive call responsibility to safety Xavier McKinney. Martinez was a team captain the past two years, but when the player voting was revealed this week, Martinez was not one of the 10 players voted in as team captains.

This was not a salary dump by the Giants. Martinez was to make $1.25 million after he restructured his contract, and he certainly was not thrilled to take a massive pay cut — in 2020 he signed a three-year contract worth $30 million. His spot on the roster was taken by offensive lineman Tyre Phillips, who was claimed off waivers from the Ravens and awarded to the Giants. Phillips’ salary cap hit is $895,00.

The inside linebacker position was suspect before this move with Martinez. Tae Crowder — last year’s tackles leader — returns as a starter. In reserve, there is Carter Coughlin, Austin Calitro and rookie Micah McFadden.

Martinez came to the Giants after putting up huge tackle numbers (144, 144, 155) the previous three years with the Packers. For one year, Martinez was an indispensable player for the Giants. Then he got hurt. Then the new coaching regime came in. Then Martinez was gone. Graham now runs the defense for the Raiders, and perhaps there is a fit there. There was no fit with the Giants.